Liquid sprayer

ABSTRACT

A liquid dispenser of the type comprising a tank (R) fitted with liquid extractor means (P) suitable for being actuated by axial displacement of the tank relative to a delivery tube (T) having a portion that projects outwards, the dispenser being characterized in that it comprises firstly a discharge duct ( 1 ) connected in leakproof manner to the outer portion of the delivery tube (T) and passing through an endpiece ( 2 ) connected rigidly to a housing (B) containing the tank (R), and secondly at least one side knob ( 11, 12 ) engaging the tank or the delivery tube and carrying a cam ( 110, 120 ) designed to co-operate in sliding contact with at least one sloping wall ( 21, 22 ) secured to said endpiece ( 2 ) in such a manner that substantially radial thrust on said knob ( 11, 12 ) is transformed into axial displacement of the tube (T) relative to the tank (R), thereby causing the liquid to be dispensed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions relates to a liquid dispenser and moreparticularly to a dispenser of liquid pharmaceuticals that are to bedelivered by spraying or by jet.

There already exist liquid dispensers of the type comprising inparticular a tank fitted with liquid-extractor means such as a valve ora pump having a dispenser head mounted thereon.

The extractor means are suitable for being actuated by moving the tankaxially relative to a delivery tube which is fed by the extractor meansand which has a portion that projects outside and that is covered bysaid head.

Nevertheless, for certain pharmaceuticals such as homeopathic orophthalmic liquids, for example, the doses to be administered correspondto volumes that are very small, of the order of 30 microliters (μl) to50 μl.

Under such conditions, the liquid is packaged in tanks constituted bysmall-content flasks which are therefore of small size, thus making themdifficult to use.

In particular, the head covering the spray tube is then of smalldimensions which are ill-suited to the numerous handling operationswhich are nevertheless required in order to obtain axial displacement ofthe delivery tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to resolve those technicalproblems by providing packaging which is easier to handle, and to do soindependently of the size of the doses of liquid that are to bedispensed.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of adispenser of the above type characterized in that it comprises firstly adischarge duct connected in leakproof manner to the outer portion of thedelivery tube and passing through an endpiece connected rigidly to ahousing containing the tank, and secondly at least one side knobengaging the tank or the delivery tube and carrying a cam designed toco-operate in sliding contact with at least one sloping wall secured tosaid endpiece in such a manner that substantially radial thrust on saidknob is transformed into axial displacement of the tube relative to thetank, thereby causing the liquid to be dispensed.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the tank is enclosed inremovable manner inside the housing that is defined at its top end bysaid endpiece.

According to another characteristic, said knob has a pushbutton-formingoutside flank whose generator lines are at least in part parallel withthose of the duct.

Preferably, said pushbutton-forming outside flank extends in flushmanner in openings formed in the side wall of the housing.

Advantageously, said pushbutton-forming outside flank has fluting.

In a variant, said endpiece is extended downwards by a substantiallycylindrical skirt provided at its bottom end with fastener members forfastening to the housing.

In another variant, said housing is provided with a set of twodiametrically opposite knobs.

Advantageously, the free end of said duct is provided with a spraynozzle.

Preferably, the duct is connected to said tube by mutual engagement withradial clamping.

In a first embodiment, the tank is held stationary inside the housingwhile said knob is secured to the tube and said sloping wall slopestowards the bottom of the discharge duct.

In which case, said discharge duct is slidably mounted inside theendpiece while the tank is held stationary in a stand fixed inoptionally releasable manner to said housing.

Preferably, said knob is provided with a spacer-forming link armconnected to said duct.

Furthermore, said cam is formed by a bulge carried by the inside flanksof the knob.

In a second embodiment, said knob is secured to the tank which isaxially movable inside the housing, while said sloping wall slopestowards the top of the discharge duct.

In which case, said discharge duct is fixedly mounted in the endpiecewhile the tank slides in an internal bore in the housing.

Preferably, said knob is mounted on the neck of the tank by means of afastening ring.

Advantageously, said cam is formed by the bottom edge of the outsideflank of the knob.

In a particular variant, said sloping walls present faces coming intocontact with said cams and having varying slope.

The dispenser of the invention is of highly ergonomic shape and providesflexibility and great comfort in use.

A particularly suitable application lies in the field of sprayingcosmetics such as hydrating substances or pharmaceuticals such as nasalsolutions.

The dispenser can be adapted equally well to a pressurized tank fittedwith a valve or to an atmospheric tank fitted with a pre-compressionpump.

The pushbutton-forming side knobs provide control over the extractormeans that is easy, reliable, and sensitive, thus enabling the liquid tobe dispensed with great accuracy.

Furthermore, the overall appearance is very attractive and looks like aconventional bottle or flask type container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood on reading the followingdescription accompanying by the drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are section views through a first embodiment of adispenser of the invention shown respectively in a rest position andwhile dispensing;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively a front view and a perspective view ofthe embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B are section views of a second embodiment of thedispenser of the invention respectively in a rest position and whiledispensing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The dispenser shown in the figures is designed to deliver successivedoses of a liquid contained in a tank.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 3A, and 3B, the dispenser is fitted inconventional manner with liquid extracting device which is constitutedeither by a precompression pump P mounted in this case on the neck of anatmospheric tank R, or else by a valve (not shown) mounted on a tankunder pressure.

The extracting device is suitable for being actuated by the user who,for this purpose, exerts manual thrust on a delivery tube 10 fed by theextracting device and has an end portion that projects outside the tankR, which end portion is optionally covered by a dispenser head (notshown).

The thrust can also be exerted on the bottom of the tank R by the userwho then holds the tube 10 stationary, such that in all cases there isaxial relative displacement of the tube T towards the tank R with saidtank being put under pressure.

When the valve of the pump opens, then the liquid can escape to theoutside via the tube T which then returns to its initial position underdrive from return means (not shown).

In the invention, the external portion of the delivery tube T isconnected in leakproof manner to a discharge duct 1. The connection isimplemented in this case by the tube T being engaged in the duct 1 withradial clamping. Where appropriate, the bottom end 1 a of the duct 1could be provided with an appropriate countersink.

The discharge duct 1 extends the tube T axially through an endpiece 2.

The endpiece 2 is also connected rigidly to a housing B that containsthe tank R by means that are described below.

In the embodiments of the figures, the tank R is enclosed inside ahousing B whose top portion is defined by the endpiece 2 and whosebottom portion is defined by a bottom-forming stand 3. The housing B isoptionally removable so as to enable the housing to be refilled or toenable said tank to be refilled.

In FIGS. 1A and 13, the endpiece 2 is extended downwards by a skirt 2 athat is substantially cylindrical and provided at its bottom end withfastening members 23 designed to co-operate with complementary members32 provided on the stand 3 so as to connect the endpiece 2 rigidly tothe housing B.

The skirt 2 a of the endpiece 2 constitutes a portion of the side wallof the housing B and it can be made (FIG. 2B) integrally with theendpiece 2, or else it can be made in the form of a separate piece forassembly thereto (FIG. 2A).

The top end 1 b of the duct 1 is provided with a spray nozzle 10.

The dispenser of the invention has at least one, and in this case twodiametrically opposite knobs 11 and 12.

Each of the knobs 11, 12 is provided with a cam 110, 120 forco-operating in sliding contact with a sloping wall 21, 22 secured tothe endpiece 2. These knobs engage either with the delivery tube T as inthe embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, or else with the tank R as in theembodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The length of the sloping walls 21, 22 is adjusted as a function of thestroke needed by the tube T to enable a predetermined dose of liquid tobe delivered. The position of the housing B and of the endpiece 2relative to the tank R or the tube T is maintained by appropriatefastening means providing a rigid connection that suffices to guaranteethat the liquid is extracted in accurate doses.

Co-operation between the cams 110, 120 of the knobs 11, 12 and thesloping walls 21, 22 of the endpiece is such that substantially radialthrust on at least one of the knobs causes upward or downward slidingwhich in turn causes the tube T to move axially closer to the tank R.The relative stroke of the tube T corresponds to actuating theextracting device P in such a manner as to deliver one dose of liquid.

Openings 20 are formed in the side wall of the housing B to receive theknobs 11, 12 with a small amount of clearance relative to their outsideflanks 11 c, 12 c.

The outside flanks 11 c, 12 c extend in the openings 20 so as to beflush with the surrounding wall of the skirt 2 a so as to avoid creatinga discontinuity on the housing and so as to conserve its shape as a bodyof revolution. The edges of the openings 20 are advantageouslychamfered.

The outside flanks 11 c, 12 c form pushbuttons and possess generatorlines which are parallel at least in part to those of the duct 1.

The visible faces of the flanks 11 c, 12 c are preferably provided withfluting 13 to improve manual thrust and avoid any slipping.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cams 110, 120 are made in the form ofprojections carried by the top portions of the inside flanks 11 b, 12 bof the knobs 11, 12 and the sloping walls 21, 22 slope towards thebottom of the duct 1.

Under such circumstances, the cams are in sliding contact with thebottom faces of the sloping walls.

The knobs 11, 12 are attached to the duct 1 by link arms 11 a, 12 a thatform spacers and that extend substantially perpendicularly to the sidewall of said duct.

Where appropriate, the link arms are integrated in a disk which ismounted coaxially about the duct 1.

The inside flanks 11 b, 12 b extend the arms 11 a, 12 a upwards andradially away from the duct 1, thereby connecting them with the outsideflanks 11 c, 12 c.

The inside flanks 11 b, 12 b are provided with stiffeners in the form ofribs 111, 112 which nevertheless allow a certain amount of flexibilityin deformation to remain.

The duct 1 slides freely in an axial bore formed in the solid endpiece 2whereas the tank R is held stationary inside the housing B.

The top end 1 b of the duct 1 projects freely out from the endpiece 2,at least when the dispenser is in the rest position.

The stand 3 has a cylindrical cavity 30 for receiving the tank R and ofdimensions that are adjusted for this purpose so as to hold the tank byradial clamping.

To facilitate insertion of the tank R in the stand 3, the cavity 30 isprovided with a tapering top mouth 31.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the knobs 11, 12 are secured to the tank R which inthis case is axially movable inside the housing B while the dischargeduct 1 is mounted to be fixed in the endpiece 2 and projects downwardstherefrom.

The tank R slides axially in guided manner in an internal bore 32 formedin the stand 3, while the inside flanks 11 b, 12 b are subjected tobending towards the axis of the duct 10 under the effect of the radialthrust on the knobs 11, 12 whose outside flanks 11 c, 12 c then come tobe received inside the endpiece 2.

The sloping walls 21, 22 slope up towards the top of the duct 1 andco-operate, still by sliding, with the bottom edges of the outsideflanks 11 c, 12 c forming the cams of the knobs 11, 12.

To this end, the bottom edges of the flanks 11 c, 12 c are curvilinearin profile, and under such circumstances it is the top faces of thesloping walls 21, 22 that come into sliding contact with the cams.

Each of the sloping walls 21, 22 is made as a plane portion carried by acone placed between the inner side wall of the housing B and theendpiece 2 and being secured, where appropriate, to the bottom portionof said endpiece.

The contact faces of the sloping walls 21, 22 are optionally of slopethat varies along the height thereof in a manner that is discontinuousor continuous (i.e. defining a curve) thus making it possible, forexample, for the slope to be shallower in the lower portions thereofcorresponding to the beginning of thrust being applied to the knobs 11,12.

The knobs 11, 12 are mounted on the neck of the tank R by means of aring 121 secured to the inside flanks 11 b, 12 b and secured to theinside flanks 11 b, 12 b and fitted, for example, with snap-fasteningmembers for co-operating with complementary members carried by the neckof the tank R or by a bushing D that also serves to lock the extractingdevice P.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid dispenser comprising: a delivery tubeextending axially through said liquid dispenser and having an outerportion projecting outwards from said liquid dispenser; a tank (R)configured with a liquid extracting device (P) operable by axialdisplacement of the tank (R) relative to said delivery tube (T); adischarge duct (1) connected in a leakproof manner to the outer portionof the delivery tube (T) and passing through an endpiece (2) rigidlyconnected to a housing (B) enclosing the tank (R); and at least one sideknob (11, 12) secured to said tank (R) and axially movable inside saidhousing, said at least one side knob carrying a cam (110, 120)cooperating and slidably contacting with at least one sloping wall (21,22) secured to said endpiece (2) and extending towards a top portion ofsaid discharge duct such that a substantial radial thrust on said knob(11, 12) urges axial displacement of the tube (T) relative to the tankto thereby cause liquid contained in said tank to be dispensed.
 2. Thedispenser according to claim 1 wherein said discharge duct (1) isfixedly mounted in the endpiece (2), and said tank (R) is slidablymounted in an internal bore (32) defined by said housing (B).
 3. Thedispenser according to claim 1 wherein said knob (11, 12) is mountedalong the neck of the tank (R) with a fastening ring (121).
 4. Thedispenser according to claim 1 wherein said cam (110, 120) is formedfrom a bottom edge of an outside flank (11 c, 12 c) defined by the knob(11, 12).
 5. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said slopingwalls (21, 22) have faces defining a varying slope communicating withsaid cams (11), (120).
 6. The dispenser according to claim 1 whereinsaid knob (11, 12) defines a pushbutton-forming outside flank (11 c, 12c) having a fluting (13).
 7. The dispenser according to claim 1 whereinsaid housing (B) includes a set of two diametrically opposed knobs (11,12).
 8. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein a top end (1 b) ofsaid discharge duct (1) includes a spray nozzle.
 9. The dispenseraccording to claim 1 wherein said discharge duct (1) radially clampssaid tube (T).